Drivers probably face the narrowing of a stretch of West Oxford Avenue adjacent to the bridge over the South Platte River to one lane each way at least until the end of the week.

The problem is a hole in the bridge that was created July 10 due to the collapse of a 92-inch Englewood Utilities storm sewer that passes under the edge of the bridge.

“We have crews working to fix the pipe and the bridge,” Tom Brennan, utilities engineer, said on July 13. “We expect it will probably be the end of the week before we have the collapsed pipe replaced and the bridge fixed so we can reopen all lanes of Oxford.”

The pipe carries the storm sewer water from as far east as Clarkson to where the water flows in the the river south of the Oxford bridge.

Bill McCormick, utilities operations manager, said the pipe is under a lot of stress south of the Oxford bridge as it makes a steep drop from street level to the river.

Crews will replace a portion of the collapsed pipe plus create a concrete culvert to carry the water down the steep decline to hopefully prevent a problem in the area again, McCormick said.

The problem began May 26 when crews found two small holes in the 92-inch pipe. The holes were repaired but the heavy rains June 6 caused about 40 feet of the storm sewer to cave in.

Brennan said crews created a temporary fix that held well until about 2 inches of rain fell in just over an hour July 10.

“The result is the water flow overwhelmed the pipe and caused a portion of the Oxford bridge to collapse,” the engineer said. “We have had crews working to stabilize the area plus it took a while to find a company to manufacture a 92-inch pipe section for us. But, a Greeley company is making the pipe and we are working to make the repairs.”

He noted all the repairs are coordinated and done with the approval of agencies that oversee the river, which include the Army Corps of Engineers and the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District.